lina's sandwiches, 333 union ave (at saigon plaza), bakersfield ca 93307, 661-324-5470

rating: 5/5; price: $. THIS PLACE IS GREAT!!! it's in the saigon plaza on union, by the giant flagship "asian" grocery store. there are two restaurants here, too, adjacent to one another; i haven't been to them, but notice one's usually full and the other's not. maybe a reader will write one or both up... my sister & i broke from indentured servitude for a half hour so i could take her to lina's, right by her work. she loved it, too!! what's not to love, unless your favorites are el torito and olive garden and the ilk (& you're probably not reading this, if they are, or maybe i'm just being a snob)? lina's is a little storefront joint featuring "the first [local] vietnamese/french combination sandwiches." they have fresh duck and fresh baguettes daily. yes, they make their own bread!!! duck's too rich for my palate, but i appreciate them serving it fresh daily, not the norm around here!
lina's has vietnamese banana leaf-wrapped pork. they have special cured bacon, imported cheeses, and french butter coffee. (no, i didn't like the last one. too rich, too sweet... but exotic, certainly! and it pepped me up, like good coffee should!) they have boba and jelly drinks, a huge menu of bubble teas and milk teas and slushes with standard and perhaps-exotic-to-the-puritan flavors. this drink menu is as big as the "asian k-mart"'s in the san gabriel valley. the drinks are cheap for being so fancy, flavorful, & refreshing: about $2. compare that to starbuck's!
the sandwiches? well, aah: the sandwiches are just delicious! and cheap, too, all under $3, but most just $2.25. they come wrapped in paper and secured with a green rubber band, a nice utilitarian touch. the piroguey-fat baguette is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and fresh fresh fresh. every sandwich i've had here has been wonderful! lina's sandwiches don't need to be blobbed with condiments: the veggies and meats are ultra juicy and stand well alone. my sis the epicure said, between intent munching & exclamations of joy, "it's nice to eat at a place where they know how to do vegetables..." i would never say such a thing, being a mere glutton, but she knows her kitchen.
"let's see," said sis, still masticating, peering in the sandwich: "cilantro, green onion, chard?, some kind of chinese noodle in yours, vietnamese pickles, cucumber, green peppers..." the sandwiches are chock full of crunchy, delicious, spicy, tart, sweet, aromatic greens, a refreshing & bracing treat-departure from standard supermarket-stock lettuce and tomato. my "special combination" also featured three kinds of meat and a thin layer of liver pate. i loved it! i know liver's not for all, but it always reminds me of our dear, sweet, departed grandma. you can order something else!
my sister's sliced pork roll featured curled bits of bbq-style pig; she loved it, too, and continued to sing and comment with delight throughout her meal. other sandwiches range from cured bacon to grilled pork, beef, chicken, meatball, pork skin, sardine, and pate. you also can get "euro" sandwiches (more the usual): ham and cheese, for example, and veggie sandwiches in three flavors. lastly, you can order more traditional combination rice plates, that is, "chinese food to go." but why, why god, would you do that when there's so much more interesting choices at lina's????
so next time you're around the area and hungry, be sure to stop in to lina's for a delicious sandwich and specialty drink. or you can get the chinese combos, if you really have to. (who knows - those are probably delicious, too!) but don't miss out on this memorable, scrumptious, and affordable place, the kind of family-owned business we need to support here in bakersfield. bon appetit!

elephant bar, 10100 stockdale hwy, bakersfield ca, 661-663-3020

price: $ 1/2; food: 5/5. this is another chain place i really like. it's cavernous, cool and clean inside. it has a weird make-believe jungle-"africa" theme, with big fake palms, fronds, copper-colored elephants, and thick glass partitions cut to resemble (maybe) the north african atlas mountains... the african theme makes little sense because the menu features foods from "asia, the tropics, and sensational regional favorites." i guess the decor is meant to evoke the feeling of being someplace exotic (and tacky, which definitely adds to the fun). this restaurant has become very popular, so go early or late, or be prepared to wait. it's far out stockdale hwy, with a california pizza kitchen adjacent.
the huge menu features about 20 entrees for under 10 bucks. the "1/2" above is if you include a drink. elephant BAR, being a restaurant bar, charges a lot for sodas... anyway, on to the food. i've eaten here several times & have always been quite happy. tofu pad thai: delicious. shrimp spring rolls in rice paper: wow (tho they seem to have shrunk recently). "adventure side salads" for under four dollars - all wonderful. these salads, plenty big for a whole meal, have names like "jamaica mojo" (with candied walnuts) and "tropical citrus." my favorite side salad is the simple iceberg wedge - a "half head of lettuce," as my spouse called it, covered with bleu cheese crumbles, tiny chunks of tomato, bacon bits and more. i get it with the spring roll dressing on the side, which is a sweet, tangy soybean-tamarind sauce. the chilled lettuce hunks, tiny rich bits of cheese & bacon, and sugary, spicy, fresh sauce make a terrifically tasty combination for four dollars! you also can get full salads for closer to a sawbuck, but i imagine you'd be taking food home, or wasting it.
burgers run standard, southern (different BBQ sandwiches) or more exotic (i.e., teriyaki or fire grilled mahi-mahi). "pacific rim specialties" also go from the more standard, cantonese dishes you'd find at local chinese restaurants to seared vegetable pad thai or macadamia nut salmon. regional favorites are varied, but lean toward the heavy and slightly unconventional: kona pork ribs, jambalaya, fettucini, fajitas, fish tacos... even steaks and chicken, if you don't feel like going even a tad wild. they have a fairly good creme brulee dessert, as well as a puddingy chocolate cakelet with ice cream that made my sister weak with delight, also berry confections and other nice cappers, if you're feeling magnanimous or just desirious of sugar after polishing off your meal proper. jambo.

mimi's cafe, 4025 california ave, 93309 www.mimiscafe.com

rating: 4/5; price: $$. this is a busy, kind of foofoo, kind of creole/american eatery where you frequently have to wait to be served. it's popular. it ain't no pappadeaux seafood kitchen as far as new orleans-hued chains go. you can't get beignets, grits, biscuits and gravy, or even corn bread, but you can have shrimp omelettes, jambalaya, stuff like that, as well as the standards like cheeseburgers and soup and pancakes. today we all went and had a mimi's eat to celebrate our cousin's visit from out of state. a lot of meals come with these big muffins. i'm no muffin fan, but if you are, they have flavors like blueberry, cream cheese lemon (tasted like lemon cake), honey bran, oatmeal. the muffins are huge and served with little pats of margarine. my best mimi's moment was when i failed to run the sacramento marathon due to having pneumonia. i hauled my sick carcass up there, anyway, and bad omens abounded: spouse broke tooth on clif bar, my temperature went up to 102, torrents of rain began to storm down, the wind began to blow, i twisted my ankle. i was so ill i kept forgetting to eat, then weak with fatigue, we staggered through the storm, freezing and hungry, and came upon a warmly lit mimi's. inside, the heaters were on, people were smiling, and while we waited we had hot cider and banana bread, both of which were laid out for free. anyhow, i'm quite tired, but can say that mimi's is that kind of place - warm, friendly, corporately and therefore cleanly french quarter themed, safe and satisfying, the food equivalent of mervyn's or kohl's or someplace like that. it'll do for now and definitely is a place you could take your folks and know they would eat well and be treated nicely.